1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to bicycle braking systems, and in particular to a bicycle force balancing mechanism with a brake arm actuation assembly and a pivot member for dual main brake cable segments.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Bicycle trick or stunt riding has placed specialized requirements upon the design of rear brake assemblies. A rear brake assembly of a bicycle includes a rear hand brake lever mounted upon handlebars of the bicycle. The rear brake assembly further includes a pair of brake arms mounted to a bicycle frame for braking of a rear wheel of the bicycle. The brake arms are commonly of a U-brake configuration. Some form of cabling interconnects the rear hand brake lever to the brake arms. Squeezing of the rear hand brake lever imparts tension into such cabling which results in actuation of the brake arms. In this regard, brake pads are attached to each brake arm and are cooperatively configured to apply forces against rear wheel in a pinching manner for braking of the rear wheel. Design focus has been placed upon the cabling configuration between the rear hand brake lever and the rear brake arms.
Use of a cable detangler or cable decoupler allows for riders to do various tricks involving spinning of the handlebars without limitations of the brake cabling being twisted about the base of the handlebars after only a single rotation. As such, trick or BMX style bicycles are characterized as having a rear brake assembly with such a cable detangler. A cable detangler typically includes a detangler ball bearing set with inner and outer races. Squeezing of the rear hand brake lever pulls upon a cable (sometimes two cables) that terminates at one of the races of the detangler ball bearing set. A pair of rear main brake cables is routed to extend from the other race rearward along the bicycle frame to the rear brake arms. This configuration is commonly referred to as a dual rear brake cable configuration. As such, it is understood that the cable detangler allows for transmission of the cable tension initiated by the squeezing of the rear brake lever through the cable detangler while freeing the handlebars to spin in relation to the bicycle frame.
During a trick involving spinning of the handlebars, the inner and outer races of the cable detangler may tend to reciprocally “flop” or snap from position to position associated with the limits of such “play” in the ball bearing races. This flopping impairs the smooth spinning of the handlebars and often results in jerky movement and an undesirable audible clicking. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved bicycle rear brake assembly configuration in comparison to the prior art.